A New Hope
by PoandTigressLove
Summary: After losing their son early, Po and Tigress will have to find strength in each other to follow with their dreams and face moments of anguish that will strengthen their relationship.
1. Anguish

_Please bear in mind that English is not my native language, so there may be a sentence without concordance or misspelled words. Thanks._

It was a cold night with dark, charged clouds, where on the horizon lightning were coming out of them. In Jade's Palace the climate was not much different, where a cold gale swept the hero's hall while a certain feline watched the movement of his master's meditation pool. The young master seemed tired and dejected, her tail hardly stirring and was spilled on the cold floor along with her limbs.

Gradually her state changed, to a shrinking of legs and tail, hugging herself as she continued to stare at the small pool. It was not long before a certain panda noticed the cat's absence at the dinner table and began to search for her, and when he find her, his eyes didn't stop watching her. With every little movement the panda made the cat's ears trembled, and by the kind of sound he, she didn't have to turn back to know who it was.

"Po," she said softly, her tail swinging but drawn. The cat let a few tears escape her eyes before continuing to speak in a painful voice: "I'm sorry!" - her tears becoming more evident to him. Po hastened to sit beside the cat, hold her in his arms and then let her cry on his chest.

"Tigress, what's the matter?" The panda asked with a worried look as he carefully held the cat's face, staring at his features, solitary tears masking the striped and orange, which were now disheveled and dimly lit. So much had happened to him in those moments, but what worried to him more was the fact that she didn't speak.

With a heavy heart, Po tried to encourage the cat to stand up and tell him what would have happened, but she resisted her companion's encouragement and shook her head, denying any help.

"Tigress, please! I want to help you! "Exclaimed the panda in distress as he held one of the cat's hands in his. Tigress sighed and finally said through tears, "I ... I lost," She said in her trembling voice.

Facing her with his eyes wide open and mouth half-open; Po, without the slightest intention, let out a faint, almost inaudible, "What?" That the cat just stared at him in anguish.

With the knot in her throat preventing her from continuing, the feline only had one option to make her mate better understand the situation. Unannounced, Tigresa took one of the panda's hands and led him directly on her belly, causing the panda to turn its attention to the spot and back to her face, whose eyes were dripping with more tears. Po finally understood the situation. The tightness in his chest of worry, loosened to give way to a sense of distress and tribulation. He hugged her tightly as his own tears trickled down and met the feline's fur.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed as more tears streamed from her eyes and her face sank into the panda's fur. Po just held her more and silenced her with a light kiss on her forehead. "You weren't to blame, you don't have to apologize," he replied, looking at her affectionately. "I should have helped you more ..." continued the panda as he watched the cat tremble in his arms.

"I ... I felt so much pain ... I just wanted it to end soon" - said the cat as more tears flowed. "I had no idea what was happening ..." continued Tigress as she felt the hand of her husband to comforting.

"I'm sure you tried hard to this ... Didn't happen," Po said quietly as he gently smoothed her head. "I didn't know that ... It was so delicate ... I should have been more attentive," he remarked as he touched his wife's hand. Tigress didn't respond, only settled himself to the panda's chest as she let a long, painful sigh out of his mouth, as if she were still in pain, and then close her eyes, feeling the comfort of his panda.

After a few minutes, Tigresa seemed to have regained his breath and seemed to be calmer, Po realized that and signaled her. "Are you feeling better? I've prepared a special dinner for us if you'd like ..." - the panda was cut off by the sudden movement of the cat, trying to get up. "Sorry... I just want to go to bed * Sigh* and rest. "With that said, the cat got up, sore, her bent back and her hand on the abdomen signaled that she was still in pain. Po quickly got up and followed her.

"Are you sure you don't need anything? If you wanted to, I can ..." - again the panda was silenced, this time by a strong grunt coming from the tiger. She watched him through some shelves and finally said, "Leave me alone ... Please." Po kept in his place, not sure what to say, his heart told him to protect her, to take care of her, but his mind forced him to stand in his place and obey.

"Maybe she just needs time," he thought as he watched her walk down the stairs to the stalls.

-To Be Continued-


	2. Chapter 2

_**Once again I come to apologize. I have had difficulty with English due to the inexixtence of some words in my native language that do not exist or sound strange in English. I've also had a hard time writing what I'm really thinking ... So I'm sorry if this chapter was not the way you were expecting.**_

It was strange to think that in the blink of an eye his greatest joy could come down. As much as they knew the risks and difficulties they would face, nothing compares to the pain of loss and failure. The news was still clouded in the mind of the couple, and at that moment what they wanted most was to be able to go back in time and fix what had happened.

Po could remember the day they knew they would be parents, it was the best day of their lives. He grabbed her waist and lifted her into the air and laughed as he turned her in his arms, his eyes sparkled with emotion, and his smiles did not lie to the happiness and satisfaction they felt. Looking back and thinking how much he thanked her and loved her, didn't make him regret but made him sad. He missed that love and warmth and regretted not taking advantage of it, for not having demonstrated enough how special she is for him. He felt guilty about what had happened.

In the panda's head, abortion was caused by a wave of stress brought on by both him and his friends. The pressure of obligations and duties on the feline, her dissatisfaction with the results of the training and her lack of attention with her body only further favored the death of her child, and the fragility of a hybrid pregnancy was not enough. Tigress certainly needed special care and rest that the panda or friends didn't gave her, just to think she was strong enough to deal with whatever came.

Frustrated, Po walked through the corridors of the Palace, not knowing who to turn to in this moment of distress. He knew that Tigresa needed some time to process the facts and have his moment of mourning, just like him. But what could a panda do in a moment of anguish alone?

Without thinking much, the panda walked to the kitchen and sat down to eat some leftovers from dinner as his mind seemed to fill with more worry and sadness. He wiped a solitary tear from the corner of his eye with the breast of his hand as he kept eating the beancake, not paying much attention to the taste or smell, just eating until sleep came.

Hours had passed and before it was clear the morning had arrived. Po looked around him, drowsy and tired, some dishes and jugs were strewn across the kitchen and rest of food on the table. He got up straight away, he needed to sort it out before the Five or Master arrived and asked him the reason for the mess, and if they did find out, it would be a disgrace. First, he would not be able to deal with the situation, and second, the Five and Master would eventually discover and fill Tigress with questions and attention, which the cat did not need at the moment. The gong would play soon, so Po needed to hurry.

While the panda was struggling to clean up last night's mess, Tigress woke up where she had spent the rest of the night. Her eyes were swollen and tired, probably because she had spent the night crying in silence; her fur was clumsy and stained with dirt. The place where the feline found herself was none other than the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, one of hers favorite places to relax and seek the advice of his late mentor.

Leaning calmly, Tigresa looked around her, trying to place herself where she was. Looking down and seeing light drops of blood on her dress reminded her of the events of the night before. A loud sigh was heard coming from the cat, and without hesitation more tears streamed from her eyes. Gently sliding her hands beneath her belly, the cat sighed,

"So it was not a dream?" she asked softly as she wiped away her tears. Hers hand moved over the spot, where his son's heart was supposed to be beating, but nothing felt, just a chill running through hers spine and a sudden weakness. Tigress then wiped her tears and her fur, but the dry tears of the night before remained impregnated in her fur, making him hardened and awkward.

The gong sounded in the Valley of Peace, waking up its residents and protectors. As on a normal day, the warriors went into the kitchen to greet their master and continue training with Po, He being the new teacher of Jade Palace.

"Po? Tigress?" Master Crane asked as he scanned the rooms for his classmates.

"They should be in the kitchen, probably Tigress woke up at dawn and asked him to prepare something to eat" - commented Monkey as he watched the concern in the eyes of his friends. Without question, the four masters proceeded into the kitchen, where they encountered a panda at his usual post.

"Good morning, guys" said Po in his usual tone. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he cut some carrots. The masters smiled at the sight of food and the panda baking in your habital rhythm. Apparently everything was in order. "Did you sleep well?" he asked as he handed the bowl of soup and noodles.

"Yes, very well, we can hardly hear your snoring, Po" said Monkey as he cools his soup. Mantis laughed at his friend's comment and added: "Best night I've had in years." Po just watched the reaction of his friends with a slight smile and returned to clean the remaining bowls.

"Po, is everything okay, are not you hungry?" - Viper asked sweetly, realizing that his friend was not in his usual state. Po turned to face the snake and answered it in his clumsy tone: "I? Yes, it's okay, why would anything be wrong?" - the panda let a light and bland laugh escape and continued: "I'm only thinking of ideas for today's training." Not convinced with the answer, Viper continued:

"I do not see Tigress". With that said, the panda thought again, his eyes widened and his heart increased.

"I... I do not know, but I'll try to find out where she is" - with that said, the panda put out the fire and ran to the room of the coupel, where their things and those of the cat were from the place they had left, but the memories and expectations of future parents were there. The panda approached the cradle, near the bed of the couple, he and his wife had raised together. Good feelings were still present in that cradle, joy, emotion and hope. He pressed his lips tightly

Po never feld tired of watching and smoothing that cradle. Passing his hands through the timber rediscovered and polished, which they so laboriously worked, to the tip of the mobile with the little figures he spent the nights carving. Soon, a sigh was heard coming from the panda that gradually moved away from the cradle.

"Po?" said a voice that Po immediately recognized. He turned back toward the door, and faced a cat with amber eyes completely wet, wearing a towel around her curvature as she carried under hers arms her dirty clothes.

-To be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

"Tigress," whispered the panda at the sight of the cat. He didn't move, only allowed himself to shed in tears as he covered his face to the feline not see him cry. Tigress didn't have to observe much to understand the situation and without hesitation, she walked towards the panda and hugged him. From the position they were in, the panda's head rested against the cat's belly, as her arms wrapped around the panda's back. In the warmth of his embrace, Po looked up only to see her with her eyes closed as she struggled not to cry. He hugged her, pulling her belly closer to his face, trying to hear the child and feel more comfort of his wife. Po again closed his eyes, this time, by realizing the puppy's lack of heartbeat. Tigresa gently pushed him away and said in a whisper:

"I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday ... I needed some time alone," said Tigress as she sat down next to the panda. The cat looked down, searching for more words. "This wasn't your fault ... I was so obsessed with the training that I didn't think twice about the risks that could happen to the baby". A sigh was heard coming from the feline.

"You don't have to take responsibility like that, Ti," recalled Po. He brought his hands together with a firm and affectionate grip. "Actually, we all have a little bit of guilt about what happened ... Especially me." Tigress looked at him in confusion. "Well, I don't want to bring negative feelings to you, so ... Forgive me Tigress."

"You don't have to apologize, Po" - she stood up and watched the cradle they so hard worked to create, and sighed in the realization that it wouldn't be any more useful. "I just think we were too naive to believe that we could have ...". The cat swallowed, closed her eyes again and clenched her fist tightly in an attempt to keep more tears from falling from her eye and continued: "That we might have a child of our own." Finishing her talk, the cat left her things aside and went back to her closet to change her clothes. Po oberserved the silhouette of his wife from behind the paper wall as she shifted.

When she changed, Tigresa watched the panda sitting on the edge of the bed watching the cradle and asked, "Do you still believe?". Po was taken aback, his eyes widening and his attention turned to feline as his hand trailed the back of his head. "I ... I do not know. Only time will tell ... Honey." Tigress sighed.

"I'm sorry for having to be like that, Po. But I don't know if I want to," said the cat as she ran her hand over the panda's shoulder. If it wasn't Tigress, Po might well say she was lying, but letting go of such a dream could not be the inner truth of her mate. But by the form and seriousness in which she spoke those words, she made him consider and accept her desires.

As the weeks passed, Po and Tigress became increasingly distant from each other, even though they shared the same bed, the same kitchen, and the same palace. They saw each other less and talked less, not because they were mean, but because they needed their time to adjust things. However, this was taking longer than expected and their friends and master had already noticed the mood of the couple, and still had to give them the bad news of the baby.


	4. Chapter 4

A few months passed and by this time his friends, family and acquaintances were already aware of the sad news of the couple, and it would not take long for the whole valley too. During this time, Master and the other warriors decided that they would hold a memorial and mourning ceremony, which Po and Tigress denied, but soon changed their minds when they realized that they had to go through that feeling again.

That afternoon of ceremonies, where everyone said their words of comfort and hope, Tigress was preengaged by a wave of longings that she never imagined would pass, she missed the affection and the words of love that Po told her when she was waiting, she missed that attention and, for that reason the feline asked him in the middle of the ceremony:

"You still love me?" asked the feline in tears. She refused to look at the face of her husband, she knew what would find an injured panda emotionally. It was not the best time to ask him a question like this, but she needed to know.

Po wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, looked at the cat next to him and watched her glance around uneasily. "Tigress, I love you more than anything. Why do you ask me that right now?" he replied as he held his wife's hand fondly as he turned his attention to the farewell words of his friends.

Tigress pressed her hands against the panda's hand and took a deep breath before saying, "I miss that affection of when we were ... Waiting." She finally looked him in the eye and continued, "I miss our love." Po watched her in surprise.

"I ... I feel the same, love," he whispered subtly. "It turns out that after we had that conversation weeks ago, I was a bit unsure of relating to you that way." He looked at her with his eyes full of sadness, then sighed and kissed her subtly on the forehead. "I love you". Tigress smiled at last.

"I love you more" - with that said, the cat finally allowed herself to relax on the shoulders of her beloved panda, opening a new door for the next step of their lives.

After that the routine of the couple was no longer the same, They avoided each other so they would not have to face each other's suffering, knowing that they themselves could not deal with their own, but in reality they only prick each other's love to keep the bond strong.

A few months later, on a cold-weather night, the young couple were awake, and the despair in the voice of a certain cat, their friends had a sense of why.

Po and Tigress were in the room, the cat paced hysterically, crying softly with her hand over her mouth as the panda watched her without reaction. The cat let out a loud sigh to finally speak in a whisper, "This can not be happening. I can not ... I can not ..." It was then that Po stood up and grabbed her from behind, pulling her out of her trance, to look at her and say, "Calm down, it's okay." Tigress parted from the panda's arms, his expression changing to an irritated and unappealing one. "Stop acting like this! It's not okay!" she shouted, not caring that the other warriors were supposed to be asleep. "You do not care what happened months ago, did you!?" she cried through tears.

Eyes of the panda widened, he tried to comfort her with a light shoulder massage, but only caused more stress on the cat. He signaled her with his hands to signal her voice down and subtly said, "You're going to wake the other Tigresa ... I'm just worried," he whispered as he approached the feline. Tigress snarled and shouted, "Stop saying you care!" Po was surprised, he knew she only told him that because of the heat of the moment, yet he did not stop him from being shocked at the words of his wife. "Get out of here, panda!" Without hesitation he obeyed the request, without making too much noise and looking at the floor, knowing that she needed to calm down and it would be best for her.

Meanwhile, Tigress fell to hers knees and cried hers tears in anguish. Hers crying was heard outside the hall by his friends and Po, he simply could not support hear and see her in such a state. He let his back slip across the bedroom wall as he sighed sadly. He grabbed his head, then began to cry silently.

The next day, the warriors awoke to the sound of the gong and, as usual, left their huts to greet their master. But to everyone's surprise, a panda slept on the wooden floor while the door to his room was closed.

"Panda...?" said Master Shifu, confused. "It's all right?" the red panda asked his student as he touched him with his staff. Po looked up with his half-closed eyes and grunted. "I ... I'm fine, just a little sore, but nothing that a massage does not solve," Po replied as he got up slowly and stretched his spine.

"Could I know the reason for you sleeping ... Here?" asked his Master strangely. Po smoothed his head in discomfort. "Tigress and I had a little discussion yesterday and she did not want me in the room," he replied timidly. Master returned his gaze to the door of the couple's bedroom and watched her, realizing that Tigresa had not left to greet them, he watched the panda one more time and sighed.

"Anything that has happened between you, the two have to solve ... Soon" - said Master seriously when leaving Po and the other warriors alone. A few seconds later, Po was left alone in the hallway and could not help worrying about his wife, even if she did not want to see him, he wanted to know if she was okay.

"Tigress?" asked Po softly as he slowly opened the door. The cat was lying on her bed, her hand on her belly while the other rested her head. At the sound of the panda's voice, the cat looked over hers shoulder to see him in, his tail fluttering in the presence of the person she loved.

"Good morning dear," he said as he sat on the bed. He stroked the cat's shoulders warmly and she did not dare look him in the eye. "Are you better?" he asked as he studied the serious expression on her face. Po sighed as she realized she would not speak to him.

"I think you forgot the meaning of marriage," said Po seriously. The cat simply grunted at the panda. "Do you remember how pretty you were? You and I, all those with emotions." Po smiled at the memory, and turned his gaze to the cat whose eyes softened.

"I remember and I do not regret anything," said Tigress finally. Po watched her in surprise. "We had and we have full conviction of what we wanted and what we loved, I just ..." Tigress sighed and looked Po in the eyes. "I just want you Po, I always will." Po smiled, but before she could say anything, she continued, "But I'm afraid we'll lose that baby too." Po watched her in surprise and stuttered: "You-you ...". Po took a deep breath and took his wife's hand. "I wont not let you suffer again." Tigress sighed.

" But this baby, I can not fail him ...". Po assured her. "Remember that you are not alone in this. If you fail, I have also failed. We will do everything possible so ... She comes to the world," Po answered confidently as he subtly smoothed the cat's hand. Tigress smiled.

"Thank you for always being by my side," she said as she kissed the panda's lips, Po returned the gesture with a soft laugh and said, "Yes, sorry I could not be by your side last night. ". The comment from the panda made Tigress laugh and at the same time feel ashamed for letting her husband sleep so uncomfortable. They looked at each other for a few seconds and finally returned to the reality: "We're going to be late for breakfast!" said the two as they got out of bed quickly.


End file.
